<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Shut Up by Anonymous</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317266">Shut Up</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Madness Combat (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, i enjoy sanford and deimos, just talking honestly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:26:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Deimos is a little talkative. Hank needs his beauty sleep. What is a man like Sanford to do but prevent unnecessary casualties?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shut Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first time writing these characters, so it's nothing spectacular. I'm figuring it out and plan on doing more with them!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>   Sometimes, it’s a treat to shelter in an abandoned house beginning to fall apart at the seams. It was a step above sleeping in a car. Most of the time. At least Sanford could actually lay down.</p>
<p>   Deimos chortled from the mattress beside him. “Just sayin’, San, think about it.”</p>
<p>   Sanford’s rising laugh was extinguished by a sharp but silent gulp of air when Hank sat up. He twisted just far enough for moonlight to pour into some of the scores on his face. </p>
<p>   “If y’all’re gonna keep going, why don’t you get a room?”</p>
<p>   He wouldn’t deny that he was… well… <i>afraid</i> of Hank. That didn’t mean he didn’t trust him, but he’d seen him rip people to shreds in seconds. It would be stupid to not be afraid.</p>
<p>   Deimos was that exact kind of stupid. He laughed a little, and Sanford tried to sear a message through his thick fucking skull with his eyes: <i>Shut up.</i></p>
<p>   “C’mon, now, we already got a room.”</p>
<p>   <i>Shut up!</i> Sanford looked toward Hank. After making it clear that he wasn’t directing the less kind sentiment towards him, of course. Not that he could know. Right? Probably.</p>
<p>   He didn’t give away any hint of what he was thinking in return. Sanford could see that his jaw was tight, only arguing a cold silence. The chill crept through the whole room. Everything except Deimos seemed to freeze over. Hank was just a statue glowering over its shoulder; he didn’t even look like he was breathing. Sanford cautiously remembered to let out the breath trapped in his lungs as his eyes darted back over to Deimos. Him and his stupid cigarette in his stupid mouth were all that were immune.</p>
<p>   He was already prepared to slap his hand over Deimos' mouth when, miraculously, Hank rolled back over, dragging his sheet above his shoulder once more.</p>
<p>   “Get another.”</p>
<p>   Deimos sighed. A playful heave, heavy in his chest. Smoke unfurled from his mouth into the crisp air with it. “Arright, arright. Talk to you in the morning, Hank.” <i>Shut the fuck up.</i></p>
<p>   Hank grunted. Sanford watched his partner in crime stretch up from his mattress and slink past the door. </p>
<p>   Finally….</p>
<p>   ....Peace and quiet…</p>
<p>   ...With Hank.</p>
<p>   . . .</p>
<p>   “I, uh… I’m gonna go make sure he doesn’t kill himself somehow.”</p>
<p>   Hank didn’t offer him the same grumbling treatment. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but shuffled out without another word himself. He took care to make sure the door shut behind him.</p>
<p>   Sanford stepped through the dark hallway, creaks punctuating the cold sinking through his socks. “Deimos?”</p>
<p>   An exhale. “Mm-hm?” </p>
<p>   “You’re a jackass,” he hissed as he entered what was once a living room. Deimos was hunched in front of a cracked window that allowed muggy, warm air to trace a path through the room. A bar of dim light floated from the cracked window. It accented Deimos’ grin as he watched his friend approach.</p>
<p>   “And?” Sanford could see something glint in his eye as he drew himself straight. He kept his sight locked on it until he was closer, and grasped his shoulder firmly. Deimos’ smile fluttered down just a little at the corners.</p>
<p>   “I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” his voice dropped even lower. “But our friend is very good at his job. I wouldn’t put it past him to give an ex-ally a first-hand demonstration.”</p>
<p>   “Strong faith, huh?” Deimos murmured back.</p>
<p>   Sanford took hold of his other shoulder and dug his fingers in. He loomed over him, mustering all his willpower to not shake him so hard that his loose screws flew out of his ears right then and there. “<i>I’m serious</i>.”</p>
<p>   The gleam finally retreated from Deimos’ eyes, and they fell with his posture. Sanford watched after it, waiting for the flame of dumbassery to reignite. He reduced his voice to barely more than a whisper that he himself strained to hear. </p>
<p>   “Especially when that ex-ally has the same background that you do.”</p>
<p>   There it was. Something struck in Deimos’ head, and he jerked out of Sanford’s grip. “I gettit, damn.” The newest spark set the rest of his face ablaze, perhaps in shame, or anger, or just plain fluster. Whatever it was, his cheek fogged up the scuzzy glass as he let another huff of smoke outside.</p>
<p>   Sanford leaned his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. He watched Deimos from the corner of his eye. He puffed his dumb cigarette, and groaned about an injury he got from acting a fool, and was definitely ready to unleash another wave of nonsense just for the sake of running his mouth.</p>
<p>   “You know I’m not just being a dick.”</p>
<p>   “Yeah.”</p>
<p>   He lowered the cigarette from his lips as he stretched. His hands hung out of the window and a snap sounded from his back. Sanford anchored his hands to the cold floor and twisted his torso until his spine echoed Deimos’. His partner looked down at him with a smirk and cracked his neck. And so it began. </p>
<p>   Sanford wasn’t sure when they had started this little routine; it felt like they’d been doing it since they met. If one of them popped a limb, the other would match it or contest it, to see if he got a louder one. It never served any real purpose; another reason it was odd for himself. Just one of those small indulgences they could afford. There was never any speech apart from the occasional “oooh”, or “nice”.</p>
<p>   When the duet finally died down, Deimos’ smile had infected Sanford. He could feel the curve of his lips in his muscles. It would be so easy to let drop.</p>
<p>   “Good talk, man,” Deimos flicked his cigarette butt outside to the gravel. He kept his face bowed to the window with a small huff. </p>
<p>   Sanford could still see faint crinkles at the corner of his closed eyes. They were always there, along with the deep circles etched beneath. A combination of squinting, staring at screens far too much, and nowhere near enough sleep. The last point was probably owed to times like now.</p>
<p>   “You plan on getting any rest tonight?” he asked. He was being rhetorical, of course. He tried to make sure Deimos got at least enough to function.</p>
<p>   “Ah, I thought about it. Maybe if you tuck me in.”</p>
<p>   He pushed himself onto his feet. “If I must,” he chuckled. “Just, uh… try to shut up, will you?”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>